Big hospital vs small community hospital: Which one is easier work-wise for a new grad?

In the smaller hospital you'll probably float more and be less specialized.

Easier? You want to be a travel nurse right? Don't you want the experience and work history that can make you competitive and competent when tossed into new environment with very little orientation?

If you want easy, staff is the way to go. No matter community or teaching, you can build a personal comfort zone and slide. Now that I say that, are you really sure nursing is the life path you want to pursue?

Easy and travel are not usually terms that go together...but I think I get what you are asking. Assuming that you know that you need AT LEAST 2 years of experience (preferably more) before you take a travel contract...

Smaller hospitals are usually easier. People tend to be nicer, you have less of a chance of getting floated to some crazy specialty unit where you have no idea what they are talking about or expect - example, I was floated to a 40 bed seizure unit my first day off orientation (1 day of orientation on trauma, mind you,) in a 1600 bed hospital. EVERY SINGLE patient was actively seizing, and I was expected (because I was a traveler) to know how to deal with that. Know the protocol, order sets, procedures, etc, with ZERO orientation to the unit. Welcome to travel nursing!

That's one of a hundred examples I could give. In a small (400 or less) bed hospital) you would be more likely to float to less specialized units (like tele, med surg, PCU, ED hold, OBS, cardiac...) but you still have to know what to do in each of those units.

I was pulled in a small (360 bed) hospital my first day off orientation (my first travel assignment) to be charge on a cardiac critical care unit (huh? I had no real cardiac experience - I'm a neuro nurse!) and within 2 hrs of shift change, a fresh heart arrested and we were doing CPR on the floor. The ACTUAL floor. Like the thing you walk on. I had to run the code b/c I was the most experienced nurse on the unit...I had no freaking clue what I was doing! The docs were asking me what the next drug in ACLS protocol was! This is what can happen when you are a traveler. You are expected to know EVERYTHING, be able to handle ANYTHING, at ANY time.

Please don't take a travel contract until you really feel confident. When you do, get another year. I kind of wish I'd taken my own advice.

So, to summarize, anywhere you go as a traveler, you are expected to be an expert in everything.